Why is exercise so important in keeping you motivated?

Often you will find yourself lacking the motivation to stick to your routine, to achieve your goals or merely to get off the sofa and move. Exercise has long been proven to help with overall well-being and health, as well as keep you motivated. Lack of motivation often leads to no self-discipline and lack of focus. Exercise will help you to stay the course.

There are many benefits to exercise and here are few reasons to help get you motivated to get you moving.

Health benefits of exercise

You may be under the impression that you will need to follow a stringent routine of high-impact exercises to reap the health benefits. However, that is not the case as a 30-minute routine three times a week will have amazing benefits for overall health. Moderate exercise a few times a week has been proven to lower stress levels, maintain overall well-being and increase cardiovascular health. Lower levels of stress and anxiety will help keep you motivated as you will no longer feel overwhelmed by situation and tasks.

Write down the benefits

Writing down the benefits of exercise will help get you motivated. Knowing the benefits is good, but seeing the benefits in front of you everyday will help get you moving or to the gym. Be sure to stick the list of benefits where you can read them everyday. A continual reminder of the benefits will keep you motivated to exercise, and it will increase your motivation levels overall.

Write down your goals

The biggest deplete of motivation is when you are feeling overwhelmed by a task or situation. You know you need to get fit and healthy, but sometimes that end goal seems insurmountable. Writing down your goals into manageable portions will help keep you motivated. For example, instead of writing down, “I want to get fit and healthy,” write down “I want to run 5 miles in one month.” Breaking down your goals into smaller, more manageable portions will help you to keep focus and motivated. Also, you can create a fitness and exercise calendar to visually help you with your goals.

Make exercise fun

Going to the gym is not for all of us, even though we know exercise is good for us physically and mentally. Indoor exercise, such as going to a gym is not the only option available to us. Many outdoor activities suit any fitness level. You can choose from running, swimming, horseriding, dancing and many sports are played outdoors and in a team. Not only will be the exercise help maintain your motivation levels, the outdoors and being surrounded by people in a team will benefit your mental health as well.

Exercise makes you mentally strong

Besides the physical benefits of exercise, your mental health will also benefit tremendously. Exercise is responsible for releasing endorphins. Endorphins are known as the feel-good hormone. When you are feeling good and happy, maintain your motivation level is easy. Also, exercise decreases the signs of stress and anxiety which is commonly associated with feeling overwhelmed. Exercise will help you release the tension you feel and will help keep you motivated through the tough times.

Sticking with an exercise routine will also mentally train you to push through with things are tough. When trying to achieve your personal or physical goals, this is a personality trait that will help you stay the course and keep you motivated and focused.